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Michael L. Linenberger, MD

Dr. Michael Linenberger: Recipient of the 2005 Clinical Research Division’s Ali Johany prize for excellence in patient care

Dr. Michael Linenberger grew up in rural Kansas and was a self-professed science nerd with a love of microscopy from a young age.

“Doctors, pharmacists, and agriculture extension agents who tested soil samples were the only science professionals in the town where I lived,” he says.

A growing interest in cell biology during junior and high school convinced Linenberger early on that medicine would be a good career path for him to follow. He became an orderly in the local hospital where he learned and saw a lot about what went into patient care.

From high school Linenberger went to the University of Kansas for both undergraduate studies and medical school. His internal medicine training took place at a Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

“I originally thought I’d follow a primary care medicine pathway,” he says, “but during residency, I began seeing patients who had leukemia and other blood diseases.” His interests were drawn to hematology where his skills in microscopy could also be used.

Linenberger received fellowship training in hematology at the University of Washington (UW). During fellowship and his early years on faculty at the UW he studied the effects of retroviruses on bone marrow cells in felines; including a feline model of HIV infection. Subsequent research activities included investigations of drug resistance mechanisms in acute leukemia. Linenberger has been very active in education during his years at the UW and SCCA and serves as the associate program director of the fellowship training program in Hematology/Oncology.

Patient care today

Working at the Hematology Clinic at the SCCA and on the inpatient hematopoietic stem cell transplant service at UW Medical Center, Linenberger cares for  patients who have anemia, bleeding and thrombotic disorders, low platelets, sickle cell disease, iron overload, myeloma, leukemia, lymphoma, myelodysplasia, and myeloproliferative disorders. Simultaneously, he serves as the medical director of Apheresis (a specialized process to collect stem cells for transplantation) and Cellular Therapy at SCCA.  He is also the medical director of the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) collection center at the SCCA.

In 2005, Linenberger was awarded the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Clinical Research Division’s Ali Johany prize for excellence in patient care.

“I strive to provide compassionate care which emphasizes a partnership with the patient and other providers,” he says. “This care is delivered in a comprehensive setting utilizing the skills and knowledge of the university medical community.”

When Linenberger isn’t taking care of patients, teaching, or conducting research, he and his wife, who is a family practitioner, enjoy traveling or just getting away together on kayaks.

Michael L. Linenberger, MD

Dr. Linenberger cares for people who have anemia, bleeding and thrombotic disorders, low platelets, sickle cell disease, iron overload, myeloma, leukemia, lymphoma, myelodysplasia, and myeloproliferative disorders.

Patient Care Philosophy:

We strive to provide compassionate care which emphasizes a partnership with the patient and other providers. This care is delivered in a comprehensive setting utilizing the skills and knowledge of the university medical community.

Title

  • Associate Member, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
  • Medical Director, Apheresis and Cellular Therapy, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
  • Associate Professor, Hematology Division, University of Washington School of Medicine

Clinical Expertise

Therapeutic Apheresis, Marrow and peripheral blood stem cell procurement, AML treatment with antibody-based agents, Hypercoagulable disorders, Iron overload disorders, Porphyrias, Benign and malignant hematologic disorders.

Education And Training

  • University of Kansas Medical School, 1982
  • Residency: Rhode Island Hospital, Department of Medicine 1982-1985
  • Fellowship: University of Washington, Division of Hematology 1986-1989

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